Flying toy



Aug. 23, 1960 Filed Jan. 19, 1959 J. w. MCROSKEIY FLYING TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN w. 1% ROS/(6)1 INVENTOR- W/M/V/V 8 McMA/V/GAL Af/orneys for A I/ca FLYING TOY John W. McRoskey, West Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Wen-Mac Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Jan. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 787,555 8 Claims. (CI. '4675) My invention relates to engine-driven toys and particularly to a flying toy.

In the past, toy airplanes have been powered by miniacure or toy internal combustion engines. These airplanes have been of conventional airplane-like structure and their flight characteristics have been substantially identical with those of conventional airplanm.

It is an object of my invention to provide a different type of toy aircraft which is powered by a miniature or toy internal combustion engine, but which is novel both in its structure and inits flight characteristics.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a flying toy which is driven upwardly by means of a miniature internal combustion engine and which, after the engine fuel has been consumed, in descending u izes wing-like ailments to provide a gradual descent rather than a direct Another object of the invention is to provide a toy aircraft which will fly substantially straight upwardly under power and which will float slowly back down to the ground after its fuel has been exhausted. It is a related object of my invention to provide a toy of the type described which is capable of either tethered or free flight and which is adapted to be stabilized before being released for flight.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a toy aircraft having a central motor-driven propeller and a plurality of radial blades preferably having a dihedral opposite to that of the propeller and adapted to rotate more slowly and in the opposite direction from the propeller when the toy is in motor-driven flight.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy having a plurality of somewhat resilient radial wings which are normally flat and which are bent into flying contour by the insertion of a ring therethrough.

A further object is to provide a toy of the type described Which has substantial stability in flight and in which vibration and other adverse characteristics are reduced to a It is an object of my invention to provide a toy aircraft having a centrally mounted toy motor which drives a propeller blade in one direction, the motor being mounted within a central vertically directed circular housing which surrounds the motor, the housing having a plurality of outwardly directed normally flat radial blades or wings which are bent and held in an angular position by a circular ring which extends through openings in the wings and which is concentric with the central motor housing. When the toy is in powered flight, the housing, including the wings, rotates slowly in the opposite direction from the propeller blade and when the toy is in unpowered flight, the wings rotate slowly to provide a gradual descent for the aircraft.

It is among the further objects of the invention to provide a toy of the class described which is simple and economical to manufacture and simple to operate, while at the same time providing unusual and intriguing flight and structural characteristics.

atent O Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon. Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a toy constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the mid-portion of the toy, taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view showing details of the wing and ring, taken substantially online 55 of Fig. 2.

A preferred embodiment which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises an airframe 10, which includes a central vertically directed circular motor housing 11. The motor housing 11 has a slight inward taper adjacent its upper edge. Extending outwardly at a right angle from the bottom edge of the motor housing 11 is a small integral flange 12, which extends completely around the housing 11. Extending radially outwardly from the flange 12 are four outwardly directed elongated blades or wings 13, which are spaced at intervals around the motor housing 11. Each of the wings 13 is provided with a straight front or leading edge 14, an angular end 15 and a slightly curved rear or trailing edge 16 having a triangular projection 17 adjacent the midportion thereof.

In practice the entire airframe 10, including the motor housing 11, flange 12 and wings 13, may be formed as an integral unit which is molded of suitable plastic material such as polyethylene. This provides an airframe 10 which is light in weight and which also possesses a considerable degree of resilience.

The resilient quality of the wings 13 is utilized in the following manner. Each of the wings 13' is molded as a flat projection which extends radially outwardly in the same plane as the flange 12. Each wing 13 is provided with a centrally disposed slot 18. A top reinforcing boss 19 is molded into the top of the wing 13 adjacent the front edge of the slot 18. A bot-tom reinforcing boss 20 is molded into the bottom of the wing 13 adjacent the rear edge of the slot 18. The bosses 19 and 20 reinforce and strengthen the plastic material against possible tearing or damage along the longitudinal axis of the slot 18.

A circular metal ring 21, which is concentric with the central motor housing 11, extends through all of the slots 18 in the wings 13. In order to permit the ring 21 to pass through the slots 18, the wings 13 are twisted so that the leading edge 14 is slanted upwardly and the trailing edge 16 is slanted downwardly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings. The ring 21 may be slightly smaller in diameter than the slots 18, so that the wings 13 are also drawn slightly downwardly, with the ring 21 being disposed beneath the lower edge of the motor housing 11. The ring 21 is preferably formed as an open wire which is threaded through the slots 18, with its ends being secured together by a sleeve-like connector 22.

A toy aircraft motor 23 is mounted within the motor housing 11 of the airframe 10. The structure of the motor 23 is substantially conventional preferably including a spring starter and accordingly need not be described in detail in this application.

The motor 23 includes a drive shaft 34 which extends vertically along the longitudinal axis of the motor housing 11. The drive shaft 34 carries at its upper end a small propeller blade 33, which is driven by the shaft 34 when the shaft 34 is rotated by the motor 23. The propeller blade 33 is substantially aligned with the upper Patented Aug. 23, 1960.

edge of the motor housing 11 and the tips of its blades fall just short of the motor housing 11.

The dihedral of the propeller blade 33 is opposite that of the wings 13 and their directions of rotation are accordingly opposite from each other, as indicated by directional arrows in the drawings. A fuel control 35 extends outwardly through an opening in the housing 11 and carries at its outer end a manually rotatable valve 36 for controlling the richness of the fuel mixture supplied to the motor 23.

The lower portion of the motor 23 is provided with an outwardly directed lower flange 24 and an upper flange 25 which is spaced upwardly from the lower flange 24. A pair of motor supports 26 extends between the flanges 24 and 25 and each of three of the Wings 13. The motor supports 26 are preferably formed of aluminum rod which is flattened at both ends. The flattened outer ends of each pair of motor supports 26 are mounted in overlying relationship to each other on the under side of each of the three wings 13 and secured thereto by a pair of rivets 27 or other suitable fastening means.

The inner end of the upper support 26 is disposed above the upper flange 25. The inner end of the lower support 26 is disposed above the lower flange 24. A hollow sleeve 28 has its upper end bearing against the bottom of the upper flange 25 and its lower end bearing against the top of the lower motor support 26. An elongated screw 29 or other suitable fastening member extends through aligned openings in the inner ends of the supports 26 and the flanges 24 and 25 and through the sleeve 28. A nut 30 is mounted on the lower end of the screw 29.

Extending downwardly from the bottom of the motor 23 is a rotatably mounted launching swivel 31. A flight tether 32 formed of cord or the like extends through and is tied to the launching swivel 31. The launching swivel 31 or tether 32 may be held stationary without interfering with the free rotation of the airframe 10. The launching swivel 31 extends beneath the bottom edge of the motor housing 11.

In use, the motor 23 is supplied with a small amount of fuel and started, causing rotation of the propeller blade 33 in the direction indicated in the drawings. After the motor 23 has been started and the propeller blade 33 is rotating, the user holds the toy by manually grasping the launching swivel 31 until the toy has become stabilized. The launching swivel 31 is then released and the toy moves upwardly in either free or tethered flight.

In flight, the propeller blade 33 rotates rapidly in one direction and provides up-thrust while the airframe rotates slowly in the opposite direction, and provides a stabilizing effect as Well as a small amount of up-thrust as indicated in the drawings. The toy will fly in a substantially vertical path, in the absence of substantial wind. When the -wind is present, it will move with the wind. After its fuel has been consumed, the motor 23 will stop operating and the propeller blade 33 will stop rotating. The toy will then start to fall, due to the action of gravity. As it falls, the airframe 10 will turn upside down, due to the weight of the motor 23. The airframe 19 will then continue to rotate slowly in the direction of the leading edge of the wings 13, breaking the fall of the toy and causing it to soar slowly back down to the ground.

It is thus clear that my invention provides a novel engine driven flying toy which is substantially difierent both in its structure and its flight characteristics from conventional engine-driven toy airplanes.

Various modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, and hence I do not wish to be restricted to the specific form or forms shown or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

, 1. In a toy engine-driven aircraft, the combination of: a motor having a vertically directed drive shaft; a vertically directed circular motor housing surrounding said motor; means mounting said motor adjacent the center of said motor housing; a horizontally directed propeller blade carried for rotation by said drive shaft, said propeller blade being substantially aligned with the upper edge of said motor housing; a plurality of horizontally directed spaced elongated wings extending radially outwardly from the lower edge of said motor housing, said wings being normally flat; an opening in each of said wings; a substantially circular ring extending through said openings, said ring being substantially concentric with said motor housing; said wings being bent to permit the passage of said ring through said openings so that the leading edges of said wings are slanted upwardly, the dihedral of said wings being opposite that of said propeller blade; swivel means carried beneath and rotatably connected to said motor, said swivel means being adapted to remain stationary while said motor and motor housing are in rotation; and a tether secured to said swivel means.

2. In a toy engine-driven aircraft, the combination of: a motor having a vertically directed drive shaft; a vertically directed circular motor housing surrounding said motor; means mounting said motor adjacent the center of said motor housing; a horizontally directed propeller blade carried for rotation by said drive shaft, said propeller blade being substantially aligned with the upper edge of said motor housing; four horizontally directed wings spaced at intervals from each other and extending radially outwardly from the lower edge of said motor housing, said wings being normally flat and somewhat resilient; an opening in each of said wings; a substantially circular ring extending through said openings, said ring being substantially concentric with said motor housing, said wings being bent to permit the passage of said ring through said openings so that the leading edges of said wings are slanted upwardly, the dihedral of said wings being opposite that of said propeller blade; swivel means carried beneath and rotatably connected to said motor, said swivel means being adapted to remain stationary while said motor and motor housing are in rotation; and a tether secured to said swivel means, said propeller blade being adapted to be rotated rapidly in one direction upon the operation of said motor, said motor, motor housing and wings being adapted to rotate more slowly in the opposite direction from said propeller blade while said toy aircraft is in engine-driven flight.

3. In a toy engine-driven aircraft, the combination of:

a motor having a vertically directed drive shaft; a vertie cally directed circular motor housing surrounding said motor; means mounting said motor adjacent the center of said motor housing; a horizontally directed propeller blade carried for rotation by said drive shaft, said propeller blade being substantially aligned with the upperedge of said motor housing; four horizontally directed elongated wings spaced at 90 intervals from each other and extending radially outwardly from the lower edge of said motor housing, said wings being normally flat and somewhat resilient; an opening in each of said wings and a substantially circular ring extending through said openings, said ring being substantially concentric with said motor housing, said wings being bent to permit the passage of said ring through said openings so that the leading edges of said wings are slanted upwardly, the dihedral of said wings being opposite that of said propeller blade.

4. In a toy engine-driven aircraft, the combination of: a motor having a vertically directed drive shaft; 3. vertically directed circular motor housing surrounding said motor; means mounting said motor adjacent the center of said motor housing; a horizontally directed propeller blade carried for rotation by said drive shaft, said propel ler blade being substantially aligned with the upper edge of said motor housing; a plurality of horizontally directed spaced elongated wings extending radially outwardly from the lower edge of said motor housing, said wings being normally flat; an opening in each of said wings; a sub stantially circular ring extending through said openings, said ring being substantially concentric with said motor housing; said wings being bent to permit the passage of said ring through said openings so that the leading edges of said wings are slanted upwardly, the dihedral of said wings being opposite that of said propeller blade, said propeller blade being adapted to be rotated rapidly in one direction upon the operation of said motor, said motor, motor housing and wings being adapted to rotate more slowly in the opposite direction from said propeller blade while said toy aircraft is in engine-driven flight.

5. In a toy engine-driven aircraft, the combination of: a motor having a vertically directed drive shaft; a vertically directed circular motor housing surrounding said motor; means mounting said motor adjacent the center of said motor housing; a horizontally directed propeller blade carried for rotation by said drive shaft; and a plurality of horizontally directed spaced wings extending radially outwardly from said motor housing, the dihedral of said wings being opposite that of said propeller blade, said propeller blade being adapted to be rotated rapidly in one direction upon the operation of said motor, said motor, motor housing and wings being adapted to rotate more slowly in the opposite direction from said propeller blade while said toy aircraft is in engine-driven flight.

6. In a toy engine-driven aircraft, the combination of: an internal combustion motor having a vertically directed drive shaft; a vertically directed circular motor housing surrounding said motor; four horizontally directed elongated wings spaced at 90 angles from each other and extending radially outwardly from the bottom of said motor housing, said wings being normally flat, said motor housing and wings being formed of a single piece of light, resilient molded plastc material; an upper and a lower annular flange extending outwardly from the lower part of said motor; said flanges being vertically spaced from each other; a pair of mounting supports extending between each of three of said wings and said flanges, each of said supports being formed of light metal flattened at both ends, the outer ends of each pair of said supports being secured to one of said wings, the inner end of one of each pair of said supports being secured to said lower flange and the inner end of the other of each pair of said supports being secured to said upper flange; a horizontally directed propeller blade carried for rotation by said drive shaft, said propelller blade being substantially aligned with the upper edge of said motor housing; a substantially transverse slot in each of said wings; an integral reinforcing boss disposed adjacent each end of each of said slots; an elongated wire extending through each of said slots, the ends of said wire being joined together to form a circular ring, said ring being substantially concentric with said motor housing and being spaced outwardly and downwardly therefrom, said wings being bent to permit the passage of said ring through said slots so that the leading edges of said wings are slanted upwardly, the dihedral of said wings being opposite that of said propeller blade; swivel means carried beneath and rotatably connected to said motor, said swivel means being adapted to remain stationary while said motor and motor housing are :in rotation; and a tether secured to said swivel means, said propeller blade being adapted to be rotated rapidly in one direction upon the operation of said motor, said motor, motor housing and wings being adapted to rotate more slowly in the opposite direction from said propeller blade while said toy aircraft is in engine-driven flight.

7. In a toy engine-driven aircraft, the combination of: an internal combustion motor having a vertically directed drive shaft; a vertically directed circular motor housing surrounding said motor; four horizontally directed elongated wings spaced at angles from each other and extending radially outwardly from the bottom of said motor housing, said wings being normally flat, said motor housing and wings being formed of a single piece of light, resilient molded plastic material; at least one mounting support extending between each of three of said wings and said motor, said supports being formed of light metal; a horizontally directed propeller blade carried for rotation by said drive shaft, said propeller blade being substantially aligned with the upper edge of said motor housing; a substantially transverse slot in each of said wings; a ring extending through each of said slots, said ring being substantially concentric with said motor housing and being spaced outwardly and downwardly therefrom, said wings being bent to permit the passage of said ring through said slots so that the leading edges of said wings are slanted upwardly, the dihedral of said wings being opposite that of said propeller blade; swivel means carried beneath and rotatably connected to said motor, said swivel means being adapted to remain stationary while said motor and motor housing are in rotation, raid propeller blade being adapted to be rotated rapidly in one direction upon the operation of said motor, said motor, motor housing and wings being adapted to rotate more slowly in the opposite direction from said propeller blade while said toy aircraft is in engine-driven flight.

8. In a toy engine-driven aircraft, the combination of: .an internal combustion motor having a vertically directed drive shaft; a vertically directed circular motor housing surrounding said motor; four horizontally directed elongated Wings spaced at 90 angles from each other and extending radially outwardly from the bottom of said motor housing, said wings being normally flat, said motor housing and wings being formed of a single piece of light, resilient molded plastic material; a horizontally directed propeller blade carried for rotation by said drive shaft, said propeller blade being substantially aligned with the upper edge of said motor housing; an opening in each of said wings; a ring extending through each of said openings, said ring being substantially concentric with said motor housing, said wings being bent to permit the passage of said ring through said openings so that the leading edges of said wings are slanted upwardly, the dihedral of said wings being opposite that of said propeller blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 191,246 Mets May 29, 1877 2,439,143 Nemeth Apr. 6, 1948 2,635,833 Rzepela .i Apr. 21, 1953 

